1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of bottle caps and closures, and more particularly to a reusable sealing cap assembly for bottles containing liquids under pressure, such as carbonated beverages and also on bottles containing non-carbonated liquids. The reusable sealing bottle cap assembly of the invention may find particular application in the field of home beer making processing, and may expand into mass use and distribution through commercial markets.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Bottle capping devices are known in the art. Some of these devices comprise various wire form stoppers for installation on the mouth of a bottle or jar. An example of a wire form stopper is disclosed in Coker, U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,027. This reusable sealing cap for bottles has a flat radially extending circular flange on the neck of the bottle which is spaced below the top edge of the mouth of the bottle. The reusable cap is removeably received on the open mouth and partially surrounds the upper neck portion of the bottle. The cap member carries a resilient seal which fits over the open mouth of the bottle to sealably enclose the open mouth of the bottle. A movable spring wire lever is pivotally mounted on the cap and bent in a configuration to form a flange engaging portion to be slidably received and biased beneath the circular flange in the sealing position. A pair of laterally opposed arcuate portions creates spring tension to create a compressive force between the cap and the circular flange sufficient to compress the resilient seal and effect a liquid tight seal on the open mouth of the bottle when the flange engaging portion is biased beneath the circular flange. The lever configuration includes a pair of smaller arcuate portions cooperative with the lateral arcuate portion to provide additional compressive force in the sealing position. The lateral arcuate portions also serve as a finger receiving handle for carrying the bottle. Other examples of wire form stoppers are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 211,440 and 610,721.
Some disadvantages of the wire form stoppers are that they are complicated in construction, mechanical in nature, and require a specific style of bottle for their use.
Additional prior art bottle sealing caps, particularly those which are currently provided on beer bottles, include metal caps which undergo a crimping process alongside the cap which is placed on top of the bottle in order to secure the cap to the open mouth of the bottle to sealably enclose the open mouth of the bottle. Disadvantages of this type of bottle cap include a one-time use of the crimped bottle cap wherein the cap cannot be used for resealing the open mouth of the bottle or used on another bottle; the need for a bottle opener; and discarding of the bottle cap with little regard to the cap or the bottle. Additionally, a special crimping device is required for securing the cap to the bottle.
Further prior art bottle caps include the twist-top type. Both sides of the cap and the upper neck portion of the bottle have corresponding threads. A disadvantage is that machining of the upper neck portion of the bottle and the cap is mandatory during the bottle and cap making process in order for the twist top bottle cap to be secured to the bottle. A further disadvantage of the twist top bottle cap is that, in general, the bottle cap and the bottle are both discarded and not reused.
Further examples of bottle sealing cap assemblies are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 468,258; 3,450,291; 3,080,991; and 5,163,571.
In the home beer brewing process, it is known to use a wire form stopper containing opposed bent wire retainer levers which extend into an aperture in the upper neck portion of the bottle. A cap member is attached to the opposed bent wire retainer levers and is pivoted upwardly to bring the cap member into engagement with the open mouth of the beer bottle for sealing thereof. These wire form stoppers may be similar to those discussed herein above, and as stated, a disadvantage of this type of sealing cap assembly is that the bottles need to be specially produced in order to receive the wire form stopper. Additionally, these specialty bottles with their cooperating wire form stopper caps tend to be relatively expensive. And still a further disadvantage is that if the home beer brewer utilizes this type of bottle and cap assembly in the beer brewing process and then gives the beer to another person, a great expense may be incurred in that in most instances this beer bottle and wire form stopper acting as a cap assembly is not returned to the home beer brewer. A further disadvantage with mechanical bottle capping devices, such as crimping devices, is that over time and use, multiple failure points may develop in the sealing caps and/or devices, thereby rendering the caps and/or devices inoperable.
There is, therefore, a need in the art to provide a reusable sealing cap for a bottle which is simple in construction; which may be less expensive compared to current day bottle caps; which involves more than a one-time use; which does not require a bottle opener; which is easy to sanitize; and which simplifies the bottling process by eliminating the crimping device necessary in some current day sealing caps.
There is a further need in the art to provide a reusable sealing cap for a bottle which can be used on any size or configuration of the open mouth of the bottle.
There is still a further need in the art especially in the home beer brewing processing to provide a reusable sealing bottle cap assembly which fits tightly onto and seals a conventional standard glass or plastic bottle having a circular bead or lip for receiving the cap assembly.